Hello,
I'm Ben

I really got into cycling 2 years ago when my brother took us on a cycle ride of 257 miles from Paris to London. Went on the London2Brighton ride this year - awesome feeling and met some great ppl!

Just realized that I never introduced myself.

My name is Tom. I'm a cat 4 road racing cyclist living in the Philly suburbs. Between a couple injuries and a major motivation problem last year, I gained quite a bit of weight and was up to 194 pounds. I'm looking to get back down to the 168 to 172 range by the spring.

Depending on the year, sometimes I've more of a crit racer (best place: 4th), some years more into time trials (best 40K: 1:02:39).

I'm fanatical about tracking data and have all of my training logs going back to 1995. I now use a power meter, CompuTrainer, and WKO+ (the desktop version of TrainingPeaks) to track all my power data so that I can track performance and calorie expenditures with a great deal of accuracy.

I've also become a Strava addict and I'm working on collecting as many KOMs as I can... I've got 14 so far. As my weight drops and my power increases, I expect to claim more of them. I've really got my eye on one that is 2.8 miles at 2.4%. I'm second place and need to be 24 seconds faster...

Hello All,

I just joined the group. Just purchased a used Caad10 Rival 4 from 2011 and excited to go on some long rides. I've been going on recreational rides for the last 4 months and can attribute much of my health improvements to this new sport/hobby.

I'm in Essex county NJ and would love to join up with any road bikers out there at any experience level... if experienced then must be somewhat patient with my speed.

Need to purchase a balaclava and some shoe covers and i'm ready for a ride this weekend.

Oh... and can mainly do 6 am rides on the weekend. Crazy family, work and school schedule.

Carlos

Hello everyone, I'm Noel. I've flirted with cycling for the last 10 years but never quite got to the level I was hoping for. After working abroad for a while and eating hotel crap for months on end, I went back on the health kick (cycling and weight loss) from around September. I'm going to push on this time as I want to complete LEJOG before I get too old and knackered. Good to meet you all.

Oh that's on my list of things I want to do in the next few years. Which is the more challenging - JOGLE or LEJOG ???

From the many blogs that I have read on the subject, the consensus is that JOGLE is more difficult, as it is against the prevailing wind. That said, I imagine Cornwall can be a bit of a shock to the system, coming at it cold.
I'm planning Way of the Roses for the coming spring, as a bit of a warm up.

Hi there, my name is Amy, I'm from Eastern NC. I have 2 little girls and an awesome husband that supports me in everything I do! I am definitely an amateur cyclist. I have a second hand Iron Horse I picked up on Craigslist a couple years ago and I love it. I'm looking/thinking about getting a new women's specific road bike, just not sure yet what kind. I'm also toying with signing up for a century ride through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, specifically the Fletcher Flyer ride in June. Anyone have any tips/tricks/advice/warnings on this one?
I have fallen off the wagon a bit lately with my food logging but I've lost 58 lbs using MFP so far.
That's about it for now.
Glad to find this group!!

Hello my names is Alex, just turned 35 and recently got back into cycling after taking 10 years off. I used to do it mostly as an off season sport when I wasn't playing water polo. Since moving from Southern California to Texas I decided the flat open roads of the Dallas/Fort Worth area were a nice place to get back on the bike.

I had been averaging 60/70 miles a week but recently had a herniated disc due to a car accident. Hopefully I can get back on the road soon and look forward to mewing new friends here to help keep me motivated.

I've been using MFP for a while, but I am a wanna-be cyclist. Got the bike, got the gear, but its been ages since I have been on a road. So any hints, tips, tricks or warnings will be very appreciated. I would like to commute to work without shaking in my boots!

I have probably the most sedentary lifestyle known to humankind, so be gentle with me.

Hello all,
My name is Allen and I joined MFP 5 days ago. I am a 50 yr old cyclist, married, with 2 children. I have been riding road bikes for over 25 yrs, but over last 5 yrs have started to enjoy mountain biking.
I joined MFP because I have not been as diligent with my training as I had been. I once did triathlons. I don't expect to be in the same shape I was 20 years ago, but I would like to shed the spare tire that I am carrying now.
Anyway, I stumbled across the group and wanted to join like minded MFP's who can keep me motivated and give a little encouragement and I will do the same. I look forward to reading and posting in the forum.

Hi, I joined MFP 4 weeks ago in order to trim down by about 20 lbs for some challenges that I am taking on this year. I am 48 married with teenagers, and am currently living in Leeds in West Yorkshire UK. I abandoned weight watchers as it wasn't giving me the calories I needed to sustain a training regime AND lose weight where MFP does. A keen cyclist 25 years ago, I have just dug my vintage road bike out of the garage, joined a social cycling club, and aim to do the 106 km Otley Sportive out in to Northern Yorkshire in September. At the same time I am training for the York marathon in October. I track my training on Endomondo which uploads cycles/runs on to here. I also use Strava which has my club group on it. I consider myself a novice cyclist embarking on a huge learning curve, and look forward to sharing tips and experiences.

Hi,


My name is Ben and I started cycling last year with a Paris 2 London bike ride over 5 days. Cycling is a brilliant way to get fit and feel really alive!

Been on MFP for almost a year now - done wonders for my blood pressure and waistline :-)

Starting training for London 2 Brighton in UK soon - 55 miles with a vertical hill at the end...

Glad to be here!

Hello!

I'm Sinead and I'm 18 years old. Came back to MFP to help me in loosing about a stone alongside training for a marathon. I recently took up cycling and joined a local social cycling series who ride once a fortnight with the view to doing my first sportive in September. I'm really enjoying it so far!

I look forward to sharing experiences with everyone here!

Hellooooooo! Wow, I never even knew MFP had 'groups'. I'm Laura - relatively new to cycling (started last summer and got my own road bike in October) and only on an average of 45 miles a week at the moment. But when the weather gets better, I hope to be out a lot more Please feel free to add me, I'm very keen to have a few more cyclists on my friends list!

Any hints or tips appreciated. I was at the velodrome the other day and a guy told me I needed to cycle in a higher gear... but it just felt like I was bouncing around all over the place and not getting much power from the bike. I'm clueless - any advice on gears n cadence? Are you supposed to ride so it feels 'easy' on the legs or get more resistance using gears?

Hi, I signed up to the group recently, although I have been on MFP for a while now. Only really just started using the site properly though. I'm a mountain biker really, although I do commute on my bike as well. I'm looking for friends into cycling so I'll probably add a few of you regulars and feel free to add me to.

I'm fairly in shape already and do a fair amount of riding but I want to take that next step. Thinking I might start getting into endurance racing but I'm not really sure I'm competitive enough by nature. I might just train for it and do the big rides for my own satisfaction.

Hello there, my name's Angel and I'm a 25 year old housewife and shop girl from Chesterfield (UK). My bikes been out of commission for a while...quite a long while actually. I used to live just off the trans-penine trail out in Stocksbridge and we used to get out there every weekend as a family, but...years later I finally get my bike fixed and have attempted what I thought was an easy ride that included a gentle slope...Well I think I've finally stopped having my heart attack now...It did not go well. I almost collapsed on more than one occasion and had to stop at a cafe. This is a trail I walk with the dog when I feel lazy and we still run up that slope!

Still, as much as it nearly killed me, I so loved being out on my bike again. Looking for some motivation and encouragement as I try and reclaim my fitness.